how sweet a love
by champion lyra
Summary: Today was not Yusaku's day. Luckily, he has Ryoken to help him out. —DataStormShipping, RyokenYusaku. For HugSaku Week!


**Notes**

Hello, and welcome to my first fic for Hugsaku week on tumblr! Unfortunately, I was only able to write something for the first three days, instead of the full 6, but hey, better than nothing, right? Anyways, this is just... pure fluff. Nothing but fluff. Fluffy, fluffy boys. Something I kind of need after today's episode :') Hope y'all enjoy!

Again, written for Hugsaku week on tumblr, using the prompt **I forgot my umbrella and now I'm completely soaked and you won't stop staring at me!**

* * *

Today was, not unlike many other days, not Yusaku's day.

Since Link VRAINS had been permanently shut down following his duel with Ai, and subsequently Ai's loss, Yusaku's life had faded into normalcy - a normalcy he was still getting used to. Perhaps the greatest change between now and when he was living a secret double life as Playmaker, number one duelist of Link VRAINS, was how his relationships with those around him had changed so drastically.

Kusanagi, the only person for a long time he was comfortable calling close to him, had more or less forced him to start going to school regularly again and stop working every day after; still providing him free meals and coffee whenever he came around. He was still the closest thing Yusaku would consider family, but nowadays, he was busy with trying to get his business to be his main source of income now that Link VRAINS hacking was no more, and with helping with his younger brother's recovery.

Takeru had decided, like he'd try to do before shit had proverbially hit the fan, to move back to his quiet, seaside country town and out of Den City, with promises that they'd talk often and he'd come visit when he was able. Yusaku didn't hold the decision against him - his friend had finally found his own path in life, and wanted to go home and repay his grandparents and childhood friend Kiku for their kindness and patience over the years. In all honesty, Yusaku was proud of him, and was grateful to have known Takeru at all.

Aoi, for whatever reason, was torn up about Takeru leaving, much to his confusion. The two were still not close, not like the prior two, but he and the younger Zaizen had grown to be at least acquaintances in Yusaku's mind. She had even introduced him to Miyu, who had taken a liking to him, so the two saw each other more frequently now than before when they were actively working together in Link VRAINS, ironically enough.

The biggest relationship change, however, would of course come in the form of one Ryoken Kogami. After many frustratingly long talks where neither of them seemed to budge, they'd come to an understanding, and Yusaku was finally able to confess his true feelings for the older boy. He had went into _that _particular conversation fully expecting to be rejected, but to his surprise, the older boy shared the sentiment and since then, the two had been dating.

It was awkward at first, since neither of them particularly knew what they were getting into - they were still learning how to live normal lives after everything they'd been through, after all - but at this point, about six months later, the two had worked out quite a nice routine.

For instance, over the weekends, Yusaku stayed with Ryoken, since he wasn't terribly far from Den City High School but more so then that he actually had _heat_. And _warm blankets_. And _real food_. These were luxuries Yusaku was still getting used to, even six months later.

However, though today was a day he was supposed to head over to Ryoken's house - mansion, really, you couldn't reasonably call that giant thing on top of a cliff a _house _\- Yusaku was dreading the walk over.

Today was really, really not his day.

* * *

"You can borrow mine if you need it," Aoi told him, pushing her umbrella towards Yusaku. "I can have Akira pick me up, it's no big deal."

Looking out the windows, Yusaku honestly considered it for a moment before shaking his head. A lot of time has passed, but he was still a stubborn person who didn't like taking what he considered charity from other people. This was one of those times. It was his own fault, really. He was perfectly capable of checking the weather. Just because it looked sunny in the morning never meant it would stay that way all the way throughout the day, especially in the spring.

"Thanks for the offer," he said, holding back a sigh. At least at Ryoken's he would have a good meal to make up for this. "But I'll be fine."

Looking at him skeptically, she didn't move back her outstretched hand with the umbrella yet. "Are you sure?" She asked, moving her eyes between him and the window. The rain was coming down hard, the window starting to look more like a watercolor painting then anything resembling real life. "I really don't mind."

This time, Yusaku did sigh as he hoisted his bag up over his shoulder. The bag was mostly waterproof, anyways, or so the school had said three years ago when he'd gotten it. "I'm sure," he replied as he began to head over to the main door. "See you tomorrow, Zaizen."

Though he was gone before she could reply, he could practically hear her _I told you to call me Aoi_ as he left. As soon as Yusaku stepped outside he regretted not taking her up on her offer, but by the time he had realized what a mistake it was to try and walk the twenty minutes to Ryoken's place in this without an umbrella, he was already soaked to the bone. The way his uniform began sticking to his skin almost reminded him of the getup he wore as Playmaker, he realized as he began his trek back. Unlike Link VRAINS, however, where you could shut off how weather affected you, the chill that Yusaku was already feeling was incredibly unpleasant.

This was going to be a long, long walk back.

* * *

Stepping through the door, Yusaku immediately spotted Ryoken in his usual seat on the days where he came over. He'd taken to sitting in the living room facing the door so he could see when Yusaku arrived, and they could start whatever they were going to do that night together. That night, they had planned to just relax since it had been exams week for Yusaku, so there was no homework that needed taking care of.

Ryoken's eyebrows shot up to his hairline the moment he registered the sight in front of him, however. Yusaku was sure he must look like a drowned rat - he certainly _felt _like one. His school uniform clung tightly to his frame, and he was sure the bits of the white undershirt he wore were completely see through, though he hadn't looked down to check. His hair, normally sticking up in all sorts of weird angles, was stuck to his cheeks and neck as well. Suffice to say he was extremely uncomfortable, and shivering from head to toe.

He was also dripping rain onto the mat on the floor, but that was beside the point. Ryoken had people that could clean that later for him if neither of them felt like dealing with it.

Neither of them said anything as Yusaku let his sopping yet bag fall to the floor. He was lucky, in all honesty, that it had been exam week - the only thing of importance inside it was his school issued computer, and breaking that wouldn't be the end of the world if the bag wasn't as waterproof as Den City High School claimed. For what felt like at least five minutes, Ryoken and Yusaku just stared at each other, not really sure of what to do.

Finally, Ryoken stood up, though still neither boy broke the silence. It wasn't uncommon for the two of them not to talk much - they were both extremely comfortable just being around the other, not needing words in a lot of cases - but that was usually _after _they'd greeted each other. To Yusaku's surprise, Ryoken left the room, only to return moments later with a large, fluffy towel.

Over the months that they'd been together, Yusaku had slowly started a small collection of his own personal items at Ryoken's house; still having issues with feeling like he had to fend for himself. Ryoken always told him he was welcome to anything he had, but never forced it onto his partner, and for that Yusaku was grateful. One of the many things he'd left over there was his own towel set - ratty and old, like most of what he owned, but his own. He'd never actually used the nice, high quality towels Ryoken seemed to love.

Slowly, Ryoken moved the towel onto Yusaku's head, gently messaging it into his wet hair. It was warm, somehow, and Yusaku nearly shivered on contact. Without a word, his partner began removing his soaked uniform, letting the pieces fall to the floor in a pile. Somehow, out of everything different and new going on, that surprised him the most. Ryoken was normally someone who was very particular about how his spaces were kept; never liking anything to be messy or out of place. There was a place for everything, seemingly.

Despite how long they'd known each other, it was a rare occurrence that Yusaku was fully naked in front of the older boy. He wasn't particularly self-conscious about his body - he knew that his ribs still jutted out a bit awkwardly, but there wasn't much he could do about it that he wasn't already doing - but it was still an odd sensation. Ryoken, however, didn't even so much as blink as he brought the towel from Yusaku's head over his shoulders, bringing one of Yusaku's hands up to hold it in place. His whole body felt kind of numb from how cold he was, but even if it wasn't, he doubted he would've tried to stop him.

Being taken care of like this was something quite foreign to him. He had even rejected Aoi's generosity of her umbrella earlier that day, for that very reason. Even though he had people, now, Yusaku still felt like he had to take care of himself. Ryoken generally was understanding of this mindset; as he was also someone who valued their independence quite fiercely. There were times, however, that the two boys had learned to lean on each other a little bit. Yusaku doubted there was anyone else he would be comfortable doing this for him.

Next, Yusaku watched as Ryoken grabbed his hand, slowly leading him upstairs to where he knew the bedroom wing to be. Still, neither of them said a word as Ryoken lead him into the master bathroom, turning on the water for a bath. Yusaku couldn't even remember the last time he'd taken a bath, if he were being honest with himself. It must've been before the Lost Incident.

They stood in silence, waiting for the bath water to fill properly. Once it had, the older boy stuck his hand in to make sure it was a reasonable temperature, before taking the wet towel off of Yusaku so he could step in. Now the embarrassment was starting to set it, however.

"You don't need to _bathe_ me, Ryoken," he said, voice quiet. He almost felt like a petulant kid saying it like that, but he was seventeen. A few years shy of an adult by society's standards, but he'd been living on his own since he was twelve.

Beside him, his partner snorted. "I know," Ryoken said, gesturing to the bath again. "But just let me do something for you for once, okay?"

Very badly, Yusaku wanted to argue. He did things for him _all the time_. Was it really necessary to bathe him, too, after he'd toweled him off so thoroughly? It wasn't even like anything catastrophic had happened. He'd just gotten caught out in a bad storm, that was all.

When his eyes met Ryoken's, however, Yusaku knew that he'd been beaten before he'd even bothered putting up a fight. There were some things that just weren't worth fighting a losing battle over, he supposed, and this would just have to be one of them. With a loud sigh - so Ryoken could know just how displeased he was about this - he stepped into the warm water, trying very, very hard to keep his face neutral.

It felt nice. He wouldn't deny it to himself; wasn't sure if he could, reasonably. It was warm, and his body wanted nothing more than to shiver. But he wouldn't give Ryoken the satisfaction. Instead, he looked him dead in the eye, with the most deadpan expression he could muster. "Are you happy now?" He asked, hoping that his body wouldn't betray him at this crucial moment.

A lazy smile took over Ryoken's face. "Very," he said, kneeling down to grab the stupid loofah he insisted on using. "Now let me take care of you."

* * *

Never in his life would he ever admit it, but Yusaku actually quite enjoyed having Ryoken bathe him. For so many years, he had been determined not to take any help or charity from anyone. He was not someone to be pitied, he had decided at an early age. But that unfortunately had left a lot to be desired, he was now starting to realize.

Having Ryoken lather shampoo in his cold hair had felt like heaven. They had been together officially for six months, now, but this kind of physical contact was still rare between them. They were both very private people, who on top of that were still getting used to the mere idea of sharing their life with someone else in that manner. This was a big step for them, Yusaku had realized about halfway through Ryoken washing the shampoo off of him.

This was a big step that said that Ryoken wasn't going anywhere, ever, if he could help it.

After that realization, it was hard to fight the smile that started blooming on his face. If his partner noticed, though, he didn't say anything about it.

"Do you use conditioner?" Ryoken asked after he was sure all the shampoo was gone from Yusaku's hair, the bath water slowly getting colder the longer they sat in the bathroom.

Blinking, Yusaku shook his head. He'd never bothered with it before in his life, but part of him really wanted to feel Ryoken's hands through his hair again. He figured he'd been pampered enough for the evening, however. "No, I don't bother," he told him honestly, shifting himself so he could look at Ryoken better. This bathtub was practically larger than his bed at his apartment. "Can I get out now?"

The older boy chuckled a bit, before stepping back. "Be my guest," he said, a knowing smirk on his face. "But here I thought you were enjoying yourself."

Yusaku knew better than to take the bait. He scowled instead, pushing himself out of the water quickly. He'd never become all prune-y like this before, and his legs felt kind of wobbly after sitting in the water for so long, but he dutifully ignored that.

"Whatever." His words were all bark and no bite, however, and he knew the other boy knew it. "What time is it, anyways?"

Glancing at his duel disk that he'd left at the sink, Ryoken read the time aloud. "6:45." He didn't really need the thing anymore, considering Link VRAINS was - at the moment - permanently closed, but it was a habit he just couldn't seem to break.

If Yusaku were correct about when he'd arrived at the house, that would've had him in the bath for an _hour_. "Ryoken," he said, voice strangled. "That's ridiculous."

He didn't need to explain what he meant by that, either, but his partner just widened his smirk. "I wasn't paying attention to the time," he replied in the teasing, overly haughty tone he had, "I was just waiting for you to be done."

There were so many different parts to Ryoken Kogami, Yusaku had come to realize over the last two years that they'd known each other in person. He was full of guilt, still to this day, and someone who, like himself, was fiercely independent. Genuinely, he enjoyed Duel Monsters, but also other games, too; he was particular to chess, but checkers and various old-school board games could hold his attention for hours. Coding was something that came naturally to him, but he didn't actually like working with computers more than he had to. There was a softness to him, on certain nights or early mornings, that Yusaku doubted anyone else had ever, or would ever, see. Yusaku knew how he loved stargazing, but even more so then that enjoyed lazy days where he could rest in the grass, finding shapes in the clouds. Those days were far and few between, but those were the times Ryoken felt most at ease.

He also knew, however, of his insane competitive streak, and how he hated losing. It wasn't so much that he was a sore loser, no, he could admit defeat when it happened. But Ryoken could be petty, terribly so. He could have a mean streak, and enjoyed teasing someone to death when he got the chance. Yusaku had seen it happen with both him and Spectre before. And if there was something he was right about, there were times where he wanted the whole word to know it.

Yusaku knew, by the look on his face, this was one of those times, and he groaned aloud.

The laughter that tumbled out of Ryoken's lips right afterwards, however, somehow made up for it. If only just a little.

* * *

The two of them now sat on the couch, after Yusaku had insisted that he could at the very least _dress _himself, albeit in Ryoken's extremely comfortable pajamas. Somehow he had made his way into Ryoken's arms, comfortably resting his face on the other's chest. His heartbeat was soft, but it was constant, and the rhythm threatened to lull him right to sleep.

Ryoken spoke up suddenly, however, and the low rumble that sounded in Yusaku's ears was oddly pleasant. "I hope you know that this," he paused, taking a moment to run a hand through Yusaku's hair. "This is it, for me."

Yusaku had figured as much out earlier. When he and Ryoken had first gotten together, he had known that there was likely nobody else he'd ever feel this way about. After all, it had been over a decade since they'd first met, and still, the only person Yusaku had ever wanted in this way was the boy he was with.

Even if he removed all the emotional baggage that came with their relationship - even if somehow one could ignore the fact that he'd been his first friend. That he'd saved him, given him words to cling to in the most traumatic time of his entire life. That he'd also had been the one to put him there. That ten years later, they fought together as rivals, then came together to work on the same team twice in many do-or-die situations. Even _if _he could somehow ignore all of that, Yusaku knew there was nobody else for him.

Ryoken was special. Not just to him, but genuinely, Yusaku thought he was special. The person that he knew, putting aside everything else, was the person he'd fallen in love with. All parts of him - the good, the bad, the guilty. The competitive person who refused to back down from something without a fight. The person who loved to tease. The person who would look to the stars and smile, content to just enjoy the night without anything else.

That was the person that Yusaku had found. That was the person, very quickly, that Yusaku decided he'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

To hear Ryoken think the same, to hear him say it out loud…

Without realizing it, he'd pushed his face more into Ryoken's chest, breathing in deeply. "Me, too," Yusaku said, heart pounding in his own chest. "This is it for me, too."

To other people, maybe, it would've felt weird to be so sure of a future with someone you'd only spent six months in a relationship with. This was the rest of their lives they were talking about, after all. To other people, maybe it would've seemed like they were both young and dumb - Yusaku was just coming up on eighteen, while Ryoken had a little ways to go before he hit twenty. They had a lot of their lives left to go, comparatively.

In Yusaku's mind, though, it only made sense. They had spent their entire lives entwined with each other, whether they knew it during that ten year gap or not. For ten years, all Yusaku had wanted to do was save Ryoken. That was his driving force in life; what allowed him to pick up his old duel disk again and fight. Before he'd even met him again, Ryoken had meant so much to him. The idea of living a life where Ryoken wasn't at all present was laughable.

It just wasn't something that could happen.

Ryoken, from below him, sighed contentedly into his hair, and Yusaku slowly felt himself slip away into a dreamless sleep. He knew he'd be sore tomorrow, from sleeping on the couch like this, but he couldn't bring himself to care one bit.

* * *

**Notes**

Tomorrow's fic will be with **MoonlightShipping**, aka **Yusaku x Miyu**, but day 3 will be back to DataStorm! I really enjoyed writing this, though ;A; It's rare for me to write just pure, endless fluff, an it's a very healing thing to do when I write so much angst, lmao. And with Vrains ending next week, I could certainly use the extra fluff...

Anyways, thanks for reading as always, see y'all tomorrow~


End file.
